Goals:
- To communicate information to another erson.
Materials:
- Tangrams
- Crayons or markers
Procedures:
1. Have your child color the tangrams as indicated.
2. Carefully cut out the tangrams for your child.
3. Help your child use all the tangram pieces to form a square. As you are doing this, describe or have your child describe each action. For example, “Place the large blue triangle beside the large red triangle” or “Place the small blue triangle in the comer.”
4. Have your child reassemble the tangrams into other shapes. Encourage your child to describe what he or she is doing.
5. Now invite your child to give you directions to make a shape or pattern using all the tangrams. If your child’s directions are not clear, demonstrate why they are difficult to follow before helping to clarify the directions.
6. Finally, invite your child to follow your directions to make a shape or pattern.
Questions to Asks:
- Where or when do you need to follow instructions?
- How can you be sure someone understands your directions?
- How can you be a good listener?
- What can you do if instructions are unclear?
Additional Investigations:
- Allow your child to prepare simple foods (such as instant pudding or flavored drink mix) as you read the directions aloud. Talk about what could happen if the directions were out of order.
- Have your child tell you the steps needed to complete a simple task such as washing dishes, packing for a trip, or playing a game.